Processing of the papers of Members and former Members

Practical information

Following the Bureau decision of 10 March 2014, historical and politically relevant archives of Members and former Members may be acquired and processed by the Historical Archives of the European Parliament (with analysis, indexation, digitisation and/or conversion to PDF-A documents), as well as made available to the public, unless documents are confidential pursuant to Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents.

AimThe aim of the above decision is to allow citizens and researchers to have:- a more comprehensive vision of the activity of their representatives- a better understanding of the legislative and decision-making processes of the European Union.

How to proceedAny (former) Member can deposit, at any time, documents they have produced or dealt with during their mandate:- documents can be in paper or electronic format;- documents should be treated carefully by the Member (or his/her staff), organized in folders, deposited in removal boxes (papers), or saved on a USB stick, a DVD, or an external hard drive (electronic files);- a form sheet is to be filled in, with particular attention to the following information (see annex) - item 4 - the period to which the documents refer - item 5 - the volume and nature of the documents (linear metres or mega/gigabit, or quantity of audio/video support)- a physical address should be provided where the documents can be retrieved by Parliament services (either in the European Parliament or at a private address).

All documents related to the activity of the Member (but which do not fall into the category of "session documents") are of particular interest to the Historical Archives of the EP: notes, correspondence, speeches, and background documentation on important topics / projects in the MEP's parliamentary life.

Documents such as parliamentary reports, motions and parliamentary questions are automatically preserved by the Historical Archives. However, they might be of historical interest if they carry handwritten annotations.

The European Parliament finances shipping costs and the processing of the archives within the limits of existing appropriations.

Address for returning the above-mentioned form and for further information: